In Logan Square, apartments pitched for Milwaukee Avenue’s former Red Apple Buffet

A developer is planning an apartment building replacing the Red Apple Buffet at 3121 N. Milwaukee Avenue, near the border of Logan Square and Avondale. The all-you-can-eat Polish-American eatery closed earlier this month after three decades in the neighborhood.

In its place, developer Stanislaw Pluta wants to build a new structure designed by Chicago-based Hanna Architects. It will contain a mix of 27 two- and three-bedroom rental units, ground floor retail, and garage parking for 32 vehicles. Rents are expected to range from $2,000 to $2,500 a month.

The Milwaukee Avenue proposal isn’t seeking a zoning change from the city and therefore isn’t required to include affordable housing. The project will, however, need a minor variance to cut the parking requirement from 40 to 32 spaces. A second variance would reduce the minimum unit size in order to boost the number of apartments from 24 to 27, according to the Avondale Neighborhood Association.

At a community meeting last week, some neighbors expressed issues with the proposed rents and claimed that prices were too high for local families, reported Chicago Block Club. The development team responded by saying that the figures were “not out of line” for newer buildings in the hot North Side neighborhood.

Meanwhile, the office of 30th Ward Alderman Ariel Reboyras will continue to accept community feedback regarding the four-story proposal through July 25.